It is indeed my distinct pleasure to welcome you to this pivotal workshop on National Accounts. I am Halim Brizan, Director of Regional Statistics and on behalf of the CARICOM Secretariat and the Regional Statistics Programme, I extend a warm welcome to each of you.
"World Food Day provides us with a unique opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every person in the CARICOM Region has the right to food.
"CARICOM recognises the Hand-in-Hand Initiative as a beneficial vehicle in supporting the removal of barriers to agricultural development.
“The theme selected for Caribbean Statistics Day 2024, 'Improving Lives through Statistics: Strengthening and Innovating Together' underscores the critical role that statistics play in enhancing the welfare of CARICOM citizens.
Ministers of Agriculture from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will meet in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on 11 October 2024 in a special session of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED). The Ministerial Meeting is the final activity of the 18th Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) now underway in Kingstown.
Georgetown, Guyana – October 3, 2024 – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is preparing for the Twenty-Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is scheduled to take place from 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. This pivotal event will see CARICOM Member States advocating for urgent climate action and robust financial commitments to address the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Barbados joins Belize as the second CARICOM Member State to ratify the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). The Agreement was adopted during the 79th United Nations General Assembly. During this period, Jamaica also signed the Treaty joining Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) was lauded recently for its support that led to the launch of the first vehicle to be powered by bio-compressed natural gas (CNG). Rum and Sargassum Inc., a local deep-tech start-up, and The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus launched the vehicle mid-September. The bio-CNG uses rum distillery wastewater and a sargassum-based biomethane, an innovative fuel source derived from the invasive seaweed which is plaguing the Region’s coasts.
Ambassador David Prendergast, Director, Sectoral Programmes at the CARICOM Secretariat, made opening remarks at the ‘Resilient Caribbean Initiative: A Reflection Workshop on Achievements and Lessons Learned’ at the Mexico-CARICOM-FAO Initiative ‘Cooperation for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Caribbean’ Workshop. The event was held in Panama City, Panama, 19-20 September 2024.
Please see his remarks below:
Buenos dias a todos!
Preparations are underway to host the 18th edition of CARICOM’s premier agricultural event, the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), from 7-11 October at the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This year’s theme ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture for a Sustainable Future’ is aligned with the objectives of the 25 by 2025 Initiative to reduce the Region’s food import bill by 25 per cent by 2025 and to transform regional food systems to be more resilient and sustainable.